How Much Should My Labrador Weigh? Including Weight Charts & Puppy Growth
The average Lab weighs 60-80lbs, but you might be surprised to hear that the number on the scales doesn’t actually matter. It’s what you see and feel that makes the difference. And today, I’ll show you how to work out if your dog is a healthy weight.
A while ago we surveyed members of our Labrador community and compiled the weights of their Labs into the chart below.
There is quite a big difference between individual Labrador puppies and older dogs in each age group! Most people worry at some point that their Labrador might be overweight or underweight so I’ll explain how you can tell if your Lab is the right weight, and why there is such a big variation in weight and size in the Labrador breed.
Contents
- Labrador weight chart by age.
- English vs American Lab weight.
- Lab weight by color.
- How to tell if your lab is a healthy weight
Labrador Puppy Weight Chart By Age
Puppy growth rate is rapid to begin with and tales off significantly after about twenty weeks. Lots of our readers want to know how much should their Labrador weigh at five months, or six months, etc.
We collected the data from our forum to create the Lab weight chart above. For a rough idea of how much your pup should weigh at each stage of their life, you can compare them to this chart. As you can see, variation within each age group is normal.
Average Labrador Weight
As a rough guide, an adult female Labrador will weigh between 55 and 70lbs. An adult male Lab will weigh 65 – 80lbs.
Female Lab weight will on average be lower than male Lab weight, but there is a considerable overlap with many larger females weighing more than some males.
Labradors also come in a different types, and your Lab’s type and their parentage, will have an impact upon their ideal weight.
English Lab Weight vs American Lab Weight
Simply giving you Labrador average weights in pounds can be misleading. It doesn’t take into account that English and American Labs can be very different in appearance. And that Labradors vary in their body shape and fitness levels.
Built for speed and agility, your American Lab will often weigh less than your friends English Lab, but not always! English Labs, bred from show lines, are often at the upper end of the scale. You can expect English Lab weight to be around 60 – 70 lbs for a female and 70 – 80 lbs for a male.
Some of our chunkier, show bred Labs can be big! Up to twenty pounds heavier than their field bred cousins, without necessarily being overweight. Whereas the slimmer, working American Lab will often be at the lower end of average.
Of course, it’s not just build that we need to consider, there are many factors that determine the right weight for an individual dog. Labs in great physical condition will weigh more than they did before the reached that condition. Let’s look at why that is.
How Much Does A Labrador Weigh When in Peak Condition?
Volume for volume, muscle weighs more than fat yet takes up less space inside your dog. As a dog gains muscle through exercise and activity, their weight will increase.
So a fit dog will have more muscle and weigh maybe ten or fifteen pounds more than an unfit dog of similar dimensions or with a similar frame.
What with the different types of Lab (American /English) and the different fitness levels of different dogs, you can see how difficult it can be to give a ‘rule of thumb’ on adult Labrador weight. And why unless a dog is grossly obese, or desperately thin, the scales may not reflect your dog’s state of health at all.
Coat Color vs Weight
In theory there should be no difference in weight between Labradors of different colors. But in practice there can be some, especially in the colors that are predominantly from either show/English or working/American lines.
Black Lab Weight
Weight for an English black Lab will probably be at the higher end of the range, for an American black Lab it will likely be lower. Black Labs are frequently found in both these categories.
Chocolate Lab Weight
Chocolate Labs are more likely to be show bred than field bred. And because English Labs weigh more than American Labs in general, our chocolate friends may therefore be at the higher end of average when it comes to weight.
Yellow Lab Weight
Your yellow Labs are commonly found in both categories, so have a wide range of weights along with varying coat shades.
White Labs are more likely to be English Labs, and will probably be heavier. Fox red Labs are normally American Labs, and therefore may be lighter in build than the paler yellow Labs that are more popular in the show ring.
So if the scales are not going to help you, how can you figure out whether or not your Lab is a healthy weight?
Labrador Ideal Weight: Does Your Lab Pass The Test!
The way to effectively judge whether your Lab is at an ideal weight is not through the scales. It is by feel and appearance. Your dog should have a ‘waist’. You should not be able to see ribs, but if you press firmly along his sides you should just be able to feel your fingers bumping along them.
Lab Puppy Weight: How Often To Weigh Your Pup
To an extent, this information applies to puppies as well as adults. People often worry about their puppy’s weight, but in most cases it really is not necessary to weigh your puppy regularly! Any more than you would weigh your three year old child on a daily or weekly basis. There are however, some exceptions.
Very thin puppies
Occasionally our readers have puppies around three weeks old, failing to thrive because they were sold before they were ready to leave their mothers. The only action here is urgent veterinary treatment.
Most puppies sold after eight weeks fall into a healthy weight range. As a very rough guide, many Labrador puppies will weigh around a kilo for every week of their lives. So you would expect a ten week puppy to weigh around ten kilos or twenty-two pounds.
A twenty percent variation around this would be fairly normal. If your puppy falls outside this variation he may still be perfectly healthy, but a veterinary checkup will put your mind at rest.
Should I Weigh My Dog?
The main reasons to weigh a dog are weight loss or gain. Thin puppies need regular weigh-ins to ensure they are gaining weight. Overweight adult Labs need weekly weighings, along with visual checks, to ensure you stay on track with their diet.
Your veterinarian may also need to weigh your dog to give an accurate dose of drugs if he needs medical treatment.
How to weigh a dog
You can weigh a puppy in your arms at home with the bathroom scales by subtracting your own weight. Tiny dogs can be weighed on kitchen scales, or by using fishing scales to weigh a puppy placed carefully in a shoulder bag (weigh the bag first and subtract its weight from your total).
(paid link)Larger dogs will need to be weighed on purpose built scales. Most vet surgeries have one in the waiting room, and some pet stores have them too.
How Much Should My Labrador Weigh?
Appearances count more than numbers. Look at your dog objectively, and avoid comparing with other dogs’ weight.
Some other dog owners will tell you your slim Labrador is too thin. This is because people are getting used to so many dogs being overweight, including some of those receiving the highest accolades in our show rings. If you are worried, check with your vet, but the chances are your dog is healthy, and it is really their dog who is overweight.
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My 22 kg gun dog yellow lab who doesn’t stop for a minute eats good dry and raw food looks amazing , but my brother in law swears she also has a cross breed of grey ground.. my vet says she’s perfect.. she looks just like her mum as I keep in touch with them.
My black lab weighs 47 kg and he is very healthy and muscular – he was a big puppy and i neutered him when he was 3.5 years old so his bones and muscles grew to its maximum potential.
I found that feeding Piper twice a day, usually 5 ish in the morning and 5 ish at night (or 12 hours apart) works for weight loss when coupled with some vigorous exercise. The result in about a year? She went from 106 1/2 to 93 1/2. I exercise her a couple of times a day for 15 or 20 minutes. she loves playing fetch with her ball and drives me crazy til I take her out. My vet just told me good job when we went to an appointment this morning.
I have a yellow lab that weighs 73 pounds. I adopted her when she was 1 year old? I think she is 10 years old
now. She was so nervous and skittish. I thought she would out grow it..but hasn’t. She is an inside dog, I walk her every day. My question is I took her to a new vet (her’s retired) He checked her teeth and said they need to be cleaned and the big eye tooth had kind of purple color. He said that need’s to be pulled. I took her to another vet got her teeth cleaned and her shots. He said the tooth is fine, I asked why does it have the color. He said some blood got in it. But it’s fine. He pulled the tooth next to it, he said it was ready to fall out. She has had no trauma, I don’t know what caused it to change colors. Does she need to be seen by another vet and have X rays? Thanks
My dog is a lab/retriever. He is approaching 9th birthday this year. He is a big dog weighing in at 38kgs. He has maintained that weight for at the last 4-5 years. At his last checkup late 2021 my vet said.. well there is nothing to report here. His weight suits his size. His shape is absolutely right. Hips and muscles are good. Teeth great. Coat and skin excellent. She stated that he is in fabulous shape for his age. Now here’s the thing. A few years ago another vet said he needed to lose another 8 kgs which in effect would have made him somewhat skeletal. That vet tried to sell me product to “assist” me in the matter. That same vet also said his teeth needed attention and tried to sell me product for his teeth. I trusted my own judgment and consequently went to my current vet and still go to that practice today. I have spent many many hours researching and getting advice about exercise, the right sort of food and quantities he really needs for the day and simply observing him. I have found that the feeding recommended by product providers is always OVER the actual requirement. My vet strongly recommenced that I do not over exercise him because he is not built to be an athlete… he is built to be a dog. Best advice ever. He loves a bit of run, a bit of a walk and bit of a play. For the rest he is busy spending his time keeping us extremely happy. I have no idea how long he is going to be with us.. mind you I had words with him saying that I want another 9 years from him…he just wagged his tail while I was talking. Good nutritious food and not to much of it, reasonable exercise and a whole lot of love goes a long way keeping your lab dog very healthy and very happy. Hope this helps..
Just had the same thing happen to me walked out the vets and won’t be going back
I have a blockhead lab who was growing fast and gaining weight. She is steady at 90″s in weight. She will soon be 9 years old and finally i can no longer see her ribs. The one she replaced after her death weighed 110. She was a little taller and longer. I love the blockhead breed.
There isn’t any such thing as blockhead breed. They are English/conformation labs with wider (skull base) shaped heads. Ughhh,, please stop using characteristics (of a particular type of breed, in this case conformation/show lab) as a breed category.
Just weighed my SILVER lab “Titus”, he is exactly 4 months today and weighing in at 44.9lbs.
He does not look fat at all. His paws have been commented on (wow, they are huge, he’s going to be big”,since we got him at 8 weeks.
My black lab puppy is 17.5 weeks old weighs about 20 pounds more (49 lbs) than the average (30 lbs.). Not fat at all, like yours, and has been active at home and now out in the world since he just completed all his vaccinations. At first, based on the average, I thought he may be an anomaly, but reading your comment, and the ones below, I think this is not too unusual.
I also have a silver lab but female. She just turned 7 months. How big is Titus now?
We selected a puppy at 3 weeks of age, when he was amongst the smallest of the litter, picked him up as 7weeks old and have had him now as a 6months old, 26 weeks. His parents [humans] told us that he was a food motivated baby, grew big in the 7weeks they had him because he would position himself at the feeding station in anticipation and timings. He has been at the high end of measurements posted here and I will provide them when he crosses 80 lbs, expected in next three months. His father is a large framed yellow, about 80lbs and mother a black lab about 65lbs.
We have provided him with proper nutrition and quantities — he does have a slim puppy look, but is filling up his frames with solid muscles; projected to be in the 100lbs+ range as a full grown boy
I will look forward to comments and notes from other with larger framed, active, healthy labs.
He is our second lab; previous was a Chocolate, lived 12+ years and was in the 80-90 lbs range.
Thank You
I have 1 year old American Lab and weight is 30kg
I am very surprised of how much the puppies actually may weight! Now that I have a chocolab puppy of 15 weeks old, I am not quite sure if it is really a breed dog or not! My dog Ulaph’s weight log since he was 8 weeks old is as follows… (in kilograms) 8W: 2.0, 9W:2.5, 10W: 3.1, 11W:3.7, 12W:4.1, 13&14W: not measured, 15W: 5.7kg
The numbers are less then half of the minimum weight data shown on the first chart… I have to mention that he was really not well in health at the beginning, we were nearly lost him. Currently however, he is very active. Just wanted to share the info I have, thanks!
It’s quite the relief reading some of these comments. I have an 11 year old black lab that I took in recently and I was a bit concerned about his weight despite his veterinarian not bringing up anything about it. At his last weigh-in he was 96 pounds, but I think he really is just a very large lab. From the others I’ve been around, his face and bone structure just looks bigger than them. He’s quite the hefty boy, but it seems he’s not the only one like it!
I mistakenly thought that American labs were larger/heavier than English labs. My yellow lab weighs 91 pounds and his vet says he is fine, weight wise. I have seen several English labs in our neighborhood and they are smaller, and I often receive comments on my lab’s large size. All labs are great.
Very good article, thank you, my boy is 6 years old and is a 102 pound English Chocolate Lab, he is my world, he gets lots of exercise and gets walk an average 3 miles a day and field and woods runni g on the weekend.
Thanks,
Mike and Taz
I have a 5 month old yellow English lab that weight 50lbs and still growning. He is very laid back. He doesn’t bark doesn’t jump on people. All he wants is love and food and water.
His dad weight was 170lbs and his moms was 70lbs. Mom was American and dad was English. He’s tasking after his dad
I have a puppy whose dad is English (100lbs) and mom is American (70lbs?). Our puppy weighed 25 lbs at 11 weeks. I haven’t weighed him in 10 days and he’s already bigger! He’s eating about 3 1/2 cups per day right now.
My male English lab grew at a 2lb per week until he hit around 60 lbs. he then slowed and is now 75 lb At 17 months. He has been steady for the last 4 months. Feeding 3.5 cups daily. He is standard lab height. The name English and American lab is deceiving. There is the show dog shorter and more stocky with a big head. Then there is the hunting bred lab that is thinner and taller faster. Also there are the millions that are mixed bred. Try to pick a typical weight from that mess.
I too have a yellow that is one day short of 18 weeks and is also 50lbs! I’m afraid he might be rather large when full grown.
My lab puppy is 50lbs at 5 months too! He’s growing so fast and much larger than his siblings but not overweight at all just very tall and skinny. How big did yours get??
Hi, my English yellow lab is 23 months old, he’s neutered and already weights 105 pounds/48 kgs and still growing. He eats 400 grams of Miglior nibbles/day. His Veterinarian is always complaining about the excessive weight.
Ours is a yellow lab, weighs about 100. She eats 3 Cups a day. Now that she lives with me, she is walking about 1/2 mile. But then she pants for a long time after. I don’t know how soon to increase her walk.
I have a black lab, age approximately 1 year and 3 months . How much should he wiegh?how much calories should he gain in 1 meal? And the best diet for him? ..he is male lab
My 8 month old pure bred black lab is very petite at only 18.5kgs. She gets 370gms of JWB fish & rice puppy kibble, plus treats yet remains lean.
She is a Very energetic pup, always running around but I’m concerned she is too lean although the vet assures my family leaner is better for Labs.
Any helpful advice, please?
While I agree with most of your article I absolutely disagree with statement about fox red labs. My girls lines are from England. She is a show standard and most fox reds I deal with are the same. The background on the fox reds here in the states are that 3 top kennels brought reds from the UK here to breed the color back into the line.
My labxgsp is 75lbs and her head hits above my hip if she stands (I’m 6’0″). The vet called her fat and asked how much I fed her. They were shocked when I said she only gets 2 cups of dry a day and 2 servings of wet food ( each a 1 serving can ). She also walks usually 2-3 miles a day including 30-40 minute sessions with a dog walker. So she’s definitely not fat lol. Also she gets 2 LIT treats a day and no human food.
My lyabrador female puppy 8 week old and weight is 4 KG…
I know that all these weights are rough guides but I’m a little concerned that my puppy is growing too fast. I have a 15 week old chocolate lab X border collie who looks like a pedigree lab (apart from her white flashes). Her mum is a tall and thin border collie; I have not met her dad because he was stud but the breeder said he was not a tall dog but was very chunky. She weighs around 15.5KG at the moment and from everything I have read and all of the charts I have looked at it seems as though she is on the larger side for a pure labrador when surely she should be smaller than the labrador ‘range’ because she is half border collie? She does have a defined waist but you cannot see any ribs and she has an insatiable appetite. We feed her what the kibble bag recommends for a medium sized dog which is always very vague (100g-390g per day?!) and make an allowance for treats; sometimes I do not even feed her ‘lunch’ and use that quota for filling up Kongs and for training with. I have read about the dangers of puppies (especially larger breeds) growing too fast and I am tempted to reduce how much we are feeding her. It is very hard to get any information on cross-breed dogs, I have been treating her as a medium-sized breed but I think I may have to start treating her as a large-sized breed. Every time we have been to the vets they have said how healthy she looks, I am probably just being an overly concerned first-time puppy mum!
Thank you for reading, any replies would be greatly appreciated! 🙂
Hi there! My friend ran into the same issue with their puppy. By the time he reached 5 months, he was over 50 lbs, and taller than his 1 year old sister. Their vet told them that they MUST get him off puppy food right away and switch to adult food, which has less calories. This might be an option for you down the line. If your vet seems unconcerned, I wouldn’t worry about it too much, though you might want to look into “large breed” puppy food, or even labrador puppy food specifically. That’s what we feed our guy. He is a lab, golden retriever and airedale terrier mix (mostly lab out of the three breeds) and he gets lab puppy food. He will be 10 months at the end of March and weighs just over 65 lbs (and over 25 inches tall at the wither, so he’s a big guy).
I have the perfect black lab 2 yrs old. But I can not keep her from jumping on people and counter surfing. Please help I can’t take it any more.
Here’s the information you need Maria : https://www.thelabradorsite.com/no-more-jumping-up/ and please do join the forum so that we can support you http://thelabradorforum.com
Riley our chocolate Labrador is 13 months old now and she weighs 27.5kg she looks good and feels good using the sheet or blanket test on her ribs. She is very active and will play in the park for as long as you will let her. One question though, she is still on kibble puppy food three meals a day. When do you recommend I should start feeding her adult dog food.
My lab (English) is 1 year old Saturday. He weighs 85 pounds and is not fat as he gets plenty of exercise. He eats about 3 cups of food/day. Ate much more as a smaller growing puppy.
what food are you feeding him. I have a 15 month old English/American Lab he weighs 82lb. I feed him Royal Canin and they say you should feed him 5 3/4 cups per day.
i feed my 13 month lab acana,she’s about 28 kilos,has 250g a day,seems a bit more expensive,but because its good quality you do feed less than other kibble full of fillers like rice,wheat or potatoes,
Hi I have lab and it is only one month old 3kg it is good r bad weight can u say what weight it should be
Hi Varma, 4 weeks is far too soon for a puppy to have been taken from it’s mother and littermates. Please return your puppy to the breeder. You can find out more here: https://www.thelabradorsite.com/too-young-to-leave-mum/
My Labrodor retreaver is 3mnths old today called” Buster” he weighs in at 12.5kg ,Buster is in deed a thick set K9 and has a great appetite.
i only feed him the best money can buy.
to date Buster can do many things given i got in early such as.
Sit,Stay,roll to the left roll to the right lye,fetch and retreave , gives his left paw and right paw.
i can leave Buster in a middle of a field and walk away a distance of 500m on comand comes to me like the wind.
He is solid in mass a very big pup and going to make a cracking service K9 im a carer so you can imagine the tasks” Buster” will be performing over the next 3mnths the crucial period of full asertion of “Master of the house well, Buster is the chap whom will be showing full alegience to providing a most valuable and loyal service.
as well as taken full presidence, as well as learning tasks involving caring “Buster”will be learning to watch and sense for varied illnesses and changes in human carecto ” Buster”will also be trained in the detection of drugs and anphetimans,,,drugs given it is crucial “Buster”makes me a wear of those whom are adicted and fined it hard to be honest,this however will be on a know to no base’s buster will also serve as protector to his home and property’s and loyal to his providers.
in return” Buster” has a great future and every thing on tap as he wishes.
Buster’s play time will be the detection of “Truffles”highly prized on the french open market and thus creating him a steady income,in Deed he has his own personal savings account which is progressing with pace.
im delighted” Buster”came into my life and i in his also were going to be great pal’s.
Our chocolate boy is 10 months old and today he weighed in at 37kg. Not fat by any means as he is walked regularly and doesn’t over-eat. He just happens to be a BIG boy, really big paws and tall (he is already nearly as tall as my father-in-laws fully grown Rottweiler!)
My lab is 19months old and she weighs 21.5kg. She is very fit and healthy and this has been agreed by the vet who says she is in perfect condition. I’m amazed at how many people comment on her weight “she’s very lean” to being constantly asked if she’s a cross with a whippet or lurcher! People just get used to seeing fat labs I think and don’t recognise a dog which is a healthy weight. Her coat is gleaming (they always comment on that too) and her muscles are defined. She is from the field line and is naturally lithe and tall.
same as my Labrador. People tend to say that “why my dog is so thin” SHE IS 23KG. i always ask the vet if she is too thin, but the vet always say that my lab is in good condition and indeed healthy.
I am so glad I scrolled further down and saw these posts. We just rescued a black lab, who was from a hoarding/back yard breeder. She is 2 yrs. 2 mos. old and weighs in at 34 lbs. When she was rescued by the SPCA she was just 22 lbs and gained 10 lbs in the 3.5 weeks they had her. We were concerned because of her small size and I could find nothing when searching for small size labs. Seeing your posts have alleviated my concerns. Now we just have to bring her out of her shell and help her become a healthy happy dog. Big job, but we are up for it. Thanks.
It could be that she is also the runt of the litter. We had a lab who was the runt of 11 pups, and people often thought he wasn’t even a lab. He was a really nice size though, around 65 lbs.
My boy is 1 in October. He weighs over 50kgs (vet scales when being desexed) but he isnt fat by any means. Hes just a big boy, has plenty of exercise and eats rather well.
Hi Natalie. Good to know someone else has a big labrador. My boy is a lab crossed with a golden retriever and he not fat at all… he is now two and half. He is bigger than the average lab and weighs 48 kilos down from 50 kilos about a month ago. My vet said he needs to be down to 40 kilos which would make him to thin in my view. I can see his ribs when he walks or bends in a particular. I am going to get him down to 45 kilos and no more…
How old is your lab
My male lab weighs 7 kilo at 11 weeks vet said he looks healthy and fine I think it just depends on the dog.
I have a lab puppy, 8weeks old.
Weighs only 3.3 kgs. Is he under-weight?
If so, suggest suitable diet
Hi Paddy,
Pippa states in the article “As a very rough guide, many Labrador puppies will weigh around a kilo for every week of their lives.” This means you would expect a pup of 8 weeks to be somewhere vaguelly in the region of 8 kilos. 3 kilos does sound rather light for an 8 week old puppy.
If you are concerned about your puppy’s weight then please take him to your vet who will be able to give you some advice regarding his specific dietary needs.
All the best,
Lucy
I have 3 labs aged between 1 and 11 years. All are slim and fit, but vary in weight between 29 and 40 kilos. Vets’ weight charts can be very misleading as they don’t take account the variability in dogs’ frames. My biggest boy is huge, at least 3 inches taller than tbe smallest, yet I have been told by a vet that they should be roughly the same weight. The best advice I ever had regarding weight was that you should be able to feel all the dog’s ribs easily, but they shouldn’t be looking at you..
My girl is now 5 and comes in at 36kg and just yesterday the Vet said she is overweight and should be around 30kg. That’s why I’m trawling and reading to see if there is any concerns us out there.
My lab is 3 months old and 6 KGS..is it normal??
Fern will be weighed tomorrow at the vet prior to her puppy class. She is 14 weeks, and went 10.2kg at 12 weeks. Polly (3 in May), was like a body on stilts at 4 months, and weighs under 27kg now. Btw she stands 22″. Although I can feel Fern`s ribs, she still looks like a litle bundle of fat. When should I expect her to loose the puppy fat, or should I be taking things in hand now? She is fed on Eukanuba puppy food, and has just over 15 mins. of exercise a day.
I have a labrador of 2 months & it weighs 3.3 kg. she is extremely playfull. Does her weight matches with her age? I feel like it doesn’t because I have seen their growth chart and it says they should weigh about 8 kg at 2 months of age . she takes her meals well and I give her 4 meals a day including milk. please tell me what I should do.I’m really concerned about her.
First, you should remove the milk. Water and kibble only is fine. Second, She is small, feed her right and love her and let her grow without worrying.
Hi Paula, don’t panic about his weight at this stage, it does sound heavy but when I took my lab puppy (girl) to training classes there was another one the same age as mine (a boy) and he was twice the size of mine, very chunky. I know they say adult male labs weight is 25-30kg, and the feeding guide is what it says, just a guide. I’ve fluctuated with feed amounts all the time , it depends how much exercise and chasing around she does. But I certainly haven’t skimped on food,because they grow so quickly and need the high protein that puppy food gives them up to a year old.
One good thing I’ve done is weigh out her daily amount of food leaving out about 25-30grams to allow for treats for training, so they are included in her daily allowance. I then divide her food into two meals a day and use a slow feed bowl, cause she a guzzler.
I cut up the treats as much as I can to make them go further. One thing I don’t do, is feed extra tit-bits of food that we eat, she gets her kong with kong stuffing in small amounts.
Do you know how big his parents are?that’s a good indicator of what he’s going to be like.
Hi there, my black Labrador puppy was born on the 12 of Nov, so he’s 3 and a half months old now. He weighs 16.5Kg (over 36 pounds!). He comes from a Field line and the Vet said he is extremely big. Since then, I’ve been searching to see if I find Field Labradors the same age as big as mine… I know that it might sounds silly, but I’m a bit concerned about it. I even thought the breeder might have lied about his date of birth, for some reason. But the birth was registered with The Kennel Club and I don’t see a reason for them to lie about it. I got him when he was 8 weeks old, then he had his first vaccine and the second one at 12 weeks. I feed him based on his weight and ‘age’ (I’d be very upset to know that I’m feeding him the wrong amount of food, in case he is older). Every time I’m walking him in the park and someone asks me his age, they are always surprised and some people don’t believe he is just 3 and a half months. He is not fat at all, I can feel his ribs. Does anyone else heard about a 3 months old Field Lab as heavy as mine??
I find this interesting. It depends on the lab, truly. My lab weighs over 100 lbs., or 47kg and you can see his bones. He is not in the least bit unhealthy, but very strong and muscular.
I found this article interesting as this subject recently came up when we took our chocolate lab Ruby to the vet with cruciate ligament injury.
She has a large frame, was getting in the region of 2 hours of exercise daily running in fields, is raw fed and extremely muscular. She felt as she should do, has a waist, but according to the vet scales weighed 39 kg. She is fed for the weight would like her to be, in fact I have now gradually cut that back. The vet said she was overweight, made no allowance that it was muscle mass rather than fat.
I realise with an injury such as hers (we are going for conservative treatment of rest with limited exercise for the next few months, rather than invasive surgery), that the heavier a dog is the more strain can be put on the stifle joint.
As she is obviously not getting the exercise that she was, then cutting back on her meals gradually was the obvious thing to do. In 8 weeks she has lost 1 1/4″ round her waist.
The vet needless to say, tried to sell me expensive dried diet food, even though Ruby is otherwise more healthy than most other labs I see, with muscle, gleaming white teeth (she’s nearly 6), and a coat you could use as a mirror!
My new pup was weighed at the vet last Saturday (8 weeks) at 6.3 kilos. He remarked that she was on the large side, and there`s no doubt she looks like a little fatty, although you can feel her ribs. She is definately show bred, probably won`t be overly tall, and the breeder likes her dogs to have `a hint of a waist`. I am feeding her very slightly less (rounding down) than it says on the bag, but am still worried I might have an overweight dog on my hands.
My labrador weighs 49kg he is a show type lab. Chunky with muscles. Gorgeous.
I’d just like to say that 10kg gram of muscles weigh exactly like 10kg of fats. The difference is the dog is better off carrying muscles than fat. That big paragraph there about how muscles weigh less than fat is grossly wrong and misleading.
MUSCLE DOES NOT WEIGH MORE THAN FAT!!!!!!! COMPLETE NONSENSE. A pound of fat is a pound of muscle is a pound of fat etc etc.
Capital letters is shouting, there is no need to shout 🙂 Volume for volume muscle weighs more than fat, so fat takes up a lot more space than muscle.
To this guy who say muscle doesn’t weigh more than fat……. Yes a pound is a pound but if a dog looks big and is all muscle and standing next to a dog that is all fat….. The muscular dog will weigh more… Don’t be too literal and a douche…..
Bahaha… Ignorance at it’s finest. @Pippa
A pound of feathers weighs the same as a pound of bricks, but it takes more feathers to make a pound
A pound of fat takes up more space than a pound of muscle. Think of it this way: a fit dog will take less space on your sofa than a fat dog of the same weight. Now stop barking and take your dog out for a run!
Pippa, another very good article, for interestingly my lab, let us say he on the large size. We having a job to weigh him, vet and Petsupermarket, a little small for him; He is 42:43 kgs. Not fat, but have too watch get thin. He has lots of lovely grounds to play in, and as Estate manager he goes round with me.